Licuri is a palm tree native to the eastern Brazil, in particular the semi-arid area of Caldeirao Grande in the region of Bahia. It produces pulpy fruit bunches (about 1300 fruits per bunch) which dry during maturation becoming edible. Fruits are available all year, with a maximum production in March and April. The main harvesting and manufacturing area is Jacobina, at 300 km far from Salvador. Manufacturing process is carried out manually. Many traditional food products made from both fresh and roasted licuri seeds are available on the local market (liqueur, milk, oil, snacks, biscuits, etc.). As the licuri has a great significance for both its socio-economical and nutritional value, local people organized into cooperatives for the handling of harvest, processing and commercialization. This also led to the first scientific studies on licuri, dealing mainly with its nutritional composition. It has been reported that the protein, lipid and carbohydrate content accounted for 11.5%, 49.5% and 13.2%, respectively. Also, some bioactive compounds, as vitamins, have been investigated, while nothing is still known about polyphenols. This work is a contribution to the knowledge of the chemical composition of the licuri seed. In particular, phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity have been investigated. Samples of fresh and roasted licuri seeds were provided by the COOPES cooperative of Bahia. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays and polyphenols were analyzed by HPLC-MS. Both antioxidant assays showed a lower antioxidant capacity for fresh seeds in comparison to roasted seeds. The main representative polyphenol class in both fresh and roasted seeds was flavan-3-ols, with (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and procyanidin B2 being the most abundant. During the roasting process a significative increase of (-)-epicatechin occurred. Also some flavonols, aglicones and glycosilated forms, were found.
Phytochemical characterization of Licuri (Syagrus coronata (Martius) Beccari) seeds: phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity
BELVISO, Simona;GHIRARDELLO, Daniela;GIORDANO, Manuela;ZEPPA, Giuseppe
2011-01-01
Abstract
Licuri is a palm tree native to the eastern Brazil, in particular the semi-arid area of Caldeirao Grande in the region of Bahia. It produces pulpy fruit bunches (about 1300 fruits per bunch) which dry during maturation becoming edible. Fruits are available all year, with a maximum production in March and April. The main harvesting and manufacturing area is Jacobina, at 300 km far from Salvador. Manufacturing process is carried out manually. Many traditional food products made from both fresh and roasted licuri seeds are available on the local market (liqueur, milk, oil, snacks, biscuits, etc.). As the licuri has a great significance for both its socio-economical and nutritional value, local people organized into cooperatives for the handling of harvest, processing and commercialization. This also led to the first scientific studies on licuri, dealing mainly with its nutritional composition. It has been reported that the protein, lipid and carbohydrate content accounted for 11.5%, 49.5% and 13.2%, respectively. Also, some bioactive compounds, as vitamins, have been investigated, while nothing is still known about polyphenols. This work is a contribution to the knowledge of the chemical composition of the licuri seed. In particular, phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity have been investigated. Samples of fresh and roasted licuri seeds were provided by the COOPES cooperative of Bahia. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays and polyphenols were analyzed by HPLC-MS. Both antioxidant assays showed a lower antioxidant capacity for fresh seeds in comparison to roasted seeds. The main representative polyphenol class in both fresh and roasted seeds was flavan-3-ols, with (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and procyanidin B2 being the most abundant. During the roasting process a significative increase of (-)-epicatechin occurred. Also some flavonols, aglicones and glycosilated forms, were found.
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